Former Spurs assistant Don Newman dies

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reacts to a technical foul called against him as assistant coach Don Newman holds him back during first quarter action of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit on June 16, 2005. less

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reacts to a technical foul called against him as assistant coach Don Newman holds him back during first quarter action of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills near ... more

Photo: Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

Photo: Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reacts to a technical foul called against him as assistant coach Don Newman holds him back during first quarter action of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit on June 16, 2005. less

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reacts to a technical foul called against him as assistant coach Don Newman holds him back during first quarter action of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills near ... more

Photo: Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

Former Spurs assistant Don Newman dies

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Don Newman, an assistant coach who was part of a pair of Spurs championship teams, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 60.

Newman was a member of coach Gregg Popovich's Spurs staff from 2004-12, helping the Spurs win titles in 2005 and 2007. He left in 2012 to become the lead assistant under Randy Wittman in Washington, where he remained until 2016.

A New Orleans native, Newman began his professional sports career as a football player, playing for four teams in the Canadian Football League from 1981 to 1986, and spent time in NFL training camps with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets. He broke into the NBA in 1999 as an assistant under George Karl in Milwaukee, and also enjoyed a stint in New Jersey before joining the Spurs.